Bill Hall’s grand slam home run for the Brewers in the first inning. He ended the game with a career high of five runs batted in.

After thinking the game would be a cake walk for Milwaukee, we got a little nervous when the Giants hit their own grand slam home run in the sixth inning.

Barry Bonds being booed by the fans when he was put in as a pinch hitter (his only at-bat, he hit a double on a error by Rickie Weeks). I was disappointed he didn’t stay in the game, so we could heckle him some more.

I was fortunate enough to be in the Kohl Center yesterday when the Wisconsin Badgers beat the Ohio State Buckeyes, 71-68. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… There is nothing like college basketball. The atmosphere, the excitement, the intensity of the players — it really can be an awesome experience.

It was a late start last night when the nationally ranked Badgers (3rd) met the nationally ranked Ohio State team (5th). A good ten or twelve minutes before the game was scheduled to begin, the Kohl Center looked to me to be full to capacity (usually all of the empty seats don’t fill in until after the game starts). Because of the strength of these two teams, this game had been highly anticipated (and overly hyped in the local media) from the beginning of the season. The atmosphere in the building was truly electric as the anxious crowd waited for the game to begin.

After running back P.J. Hill scored a 60-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage, I thought we might be witnessing the start of a big blowout. But the score at halftime was actually fairly close (17-9), because of a three Wisconsin turnovers, and the solid play of Northwestern’s redshirt freshman quarterback, Andrew Brewer.

I just got home from a basketball game where the Wisconsin Badger’s lost to North Dakota State. The Badgers had one of the flattest performances I’ve ever seen, with a shooting percentage of 22%. They only made 16 of 72 attempted shots.

The North Dakota State Bison, who are playing their first year as a division one team, made 50% of their field goal attempts, in a well-played upset of the nationally ranked Badgers. Wisconsin only made 16 of 72.

Yesterday, Dad and I went to the UW Volleyball match and watched the Badgers defeat Minnesota in an exciting contest. It was the first time I’ve seen Badger Volleyball in person. Those games are played in the UW Field House and it was great to be back in the old barn. Some of my favorite sports memories took place in the Field House — watching the men’s basketball games. When that place is packed, the band is playing, and the crowd is cheering along, you can feel the building vibrating along with the excitement.

So it was about time for the evening news and I turned on the television. The first thing I saw was the Superbowl pregame show. Not a regular pregame show, but a hyped-up, rock and roll pregame show. At halftime there was another hyped-up, rock and roll show (and with the exposed breast incident, the hype continued long after the show was over).

In the dead of winter there can be times when you need something to get your heart pumping and lift your spirits. Yesterday, I was at the Kohl Center to see the Wisconsin Badgers defeat Michigan State, 77 to 64. When your team is playing well, the band is playing the old college fight song and an energetic crowd is screaming (like we were yesterday) it really gets your adrenaline going. Just thinking about it gets my heart beating a little faster. Over the past several decades the Spartans have dominated Wisconsin. Consequently, it was real sweet to watch the Badgers beat Michigan State for the third straight time in two years.

After the game, Dad and I were cheering Wisconsin on as the team left the floor. When Devon Harris approached (one of the best players in the country) we both reached over the rail and he jumped up and gave us high fives. That was sweet too. Great game Devon and Go Badgers!